More Grains of Wheat

   

Last week's program on Wheat: Field to Flour prompted me to try the bulgur I had recieved from the Kansas Wheat Commission. It made a delicious addition to a salad.
Bulgur was probably man's first use of wheat. For bulgur, the whole wheat kernel is soaked and cooked, then dried. Then part of the bran is removed and the remaining kernel is cracked into small pieces. It can be used in many types of recipes - salads, soups, breads and desserts. It makes a nutritious extender and thickener for meat dishes and soups. Bulgur will absorb twice its volume in water and can be used in place of rice in any recipe. It has the same nutritive value as whole wheat.
     Basic cooking instructions are: Rinse bulgur. Using 1 cup bulgur to 2 cups of water, bring water to a boil, then add bulgur. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until soft. Bulgur can also be soaked to soften before using.

Hearty Bulgur Salad           

1 cup dry bulgur

2 cups warm water

2 cups peeled and diced cucumber

1 ½ cups diced tomatoes

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

½ cup diced green pepper

10 radishes, diced

¼ cup minced parsley

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

⅓ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

Combine bulgur and water; let stand until bulgur is soft, about 20 minutes. Strain off excess liquid. In a large salad bowl, toss together all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. 

Makes 6 cups. 

Ingredients can be changed for a variety of garden vegetables
you may have.

Bulgur may be sold in grocery stores with the baking supplies or the cereals. Bob's Red Mill is one brand that is found in our store and can be ordered on-line. 

Wheat - Field to Flour

In Kansas we have wheat around us in some form at all times. This time of year is between harvest and before planting, but we still see a few wheat trucks on the road, grains spilled from bins, or even the wheat stubble fields awaiting next year's crop. Most of us also only need to look around our homes, I found 6 types of flour in my kitchen when I prepared for a program at the local women's educational Extension unit this week.
Kansas is known as the "Wheat State" or the "Bread basket of the World", titles we've been proud of with the greatest production of hard red wheat and milling facilities. Wheat is an ancient grain, originating in the fertile valley of what is now Iraq, Southeast Turkey, and west Asia. The first hybrid crop was a cross of goat grass and einkorn that created the early wheat grains.
Wheat is a unique grain also with gluten to make breads rise and hold their structure for a light and lofty loaf. Flour can be milled and mixed for just the right properties for good structure in holding and expanding the leavening gases, texture, flavor and nutrition. I use all-purpose flour for many preparations, but keep a 50/50 mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flours for most daily use. This mix makes a good cookie or quick bread with added nutrition and fiber of whole wheat and lightness of all-purpose flour. I also have bread flour which has a strong protein or gluten content for holding the yeast bread's shape as the yeast rises. Cake flour makes a lighter and whiter chiffon or angel food cake. Pastry flour works well for pie crusts. When I can find it, I buy white whole wheat flour, a flour developed from a newer variety of winter wheat with the advantages of whole wheat but a lighter color. I even have a bag of self-rising flour bought for a special southern-style recipe. Many recipes of the south use self-rising flour made from a softer wheat that is grown in southern states. To make your own from all-purpose flour, add ½ teaspoon salt and 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder to 1 cup flour.
I shared several recipes with the club group, including the Brown and Serve Wheat Dinner Rolls (blog of May 16, 2014) and 60 Minute Cinnamon Rolls (blog of March 11, 2014).
I also prepared to share a salad with wheat berries. Because wheat berries are so hard, it does take advance preparation of soaking and cooking the berries, but I was pleased with the flavor and crunch the wheat added to a Waldorf Salad. Be sure to use wheat that is clean and untreated.

WALDORF SALAD WITH WHEAT          

¼ cup wheat berries (kernels), uncooked
1 ¼ cups water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
¼ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup thinly sliced celery
2 medium apples, cored, chopped
½ cup halved red grapes
¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional
To cook wheat berries (kernels): Place clean wheat berries and water in small saucepan. Cover, let stand overnight. Stir sugar and cinnamon into wheat berries. Cover, simmer, stirring occasionally, 45-50 minutes or until berries are tender; drain. OR: Bring berries, water, sugar and cinnamon to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until berries are tender; drain. In serving bowl, stir together mayonnaise, yogurt and vanilla. Add celery and wheat. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Stir in apples, grapes and walnuts just before serving. Makes 5 cups.

Citrus Flavored Summer

Summer foods just seem to call for the sweet and sour tastes of juicy citrus fruits. Citrus fruits colors - bright yellow, green, orange - even make me think of summer. We all enjoy lemonade, limeades, and orange flavored popsicles in warm weather. For a recent family gathering I choose two new twists on these citrus flavors.

We like water flavored with lemons, or with limes. Instead of dropping the fruit into the drinks, this idea layers the fruit around the edge of the clear container, creating a decorative appeal. This is easier to do than it looks! Cut fruit into ¼ inch slices and lay next to the inside edge of the container. As you build the slices up the sides of the container, fill with ice to keep the fruit in place. I did this a day ahead and put the whole container in the freezer until serving time. Then I added water (or you could add club soda or seltzer water). I used limes because they were on sale and much less expensive than lemons! This container took 11 limes to fill the sides. Oranges can also be used. The water was delicately flavored. After a few hours, and added water, however, this jug got a little tart, time to add a twig of stevia from the herb garden.

Lemon Cream Dessert

The other citrus flavor for the family gathering was an adaptation of a favorite recipe I've used many times before - Coconut Cream Dessert (blog of June 2, 2012). It has a Ritz cracker crust, pudding mixed in ice cream and Cool Whip - umm! Last spring I made this and many of the family told me they really liked it, although they usually didn't like coconut cream!  So I changed the flavor of this preparation - using the same recipe but with lemon flavored instant pudding and sprinkling crushed lemon drop candies on top. It was definitely a hit! Because I was doing a 'country' theme, it was fun to make individual servings in half-pint canning jars.

Jelly Day

17 jars of sweet spreads to share

Inspired by the recent training from K-State Research and Extension on food preservation, I spend a Saturday afternoon making jellies and jams. Two new recipes and another tried and favorite one (blog of Oct. 8, 2012) yielded 17 jars to share with family.
Making jellies and jams is fairly easy, but it is important to follow recommended recipes (those from the land-grant universities or USDA). Proper amounts of fruit, pectin (and the type of pectin), acid and sugar are needed, as well as the correct time for cooking and processing, for a successful product. All types of these products are called 'sweet spreads' in the recipe books but there are differences. Jams are thick and are made with crushed or chopped fruits with sugar. Jellies are made from fruit juice and sugar, they should be firm and clear. Preserves are similar to jams but the fruit is small whole pieces in a slightly gelled syrup. Conserves are jam-like spreads with a combination of fruits, sometimes they also contain nuts, raisins or coconut. Marmalades are soft fruit jellies with small pieces of fruit or peel evenly suspended in a transparent jelly, often these are citrus fruits.
These jellies were made from commercial juice, an easy preparation without the work of cooking and straining fruit yourself. I made the grape jelly in my jam/jelly maker, but I'm including the on-the-stovetop recipe from the Extension workshop here.

Orange Jelly from Frozen Concentrated Juice
12 ounces concentrated orange juice, thawed
2 ½ cups water
4 ½ cups sugar
1 box powdered pectin
Measure sugar and set aside. Mix juice and water in a  sauce pot. Stir in powdered pectin. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once stir in sugar. Stir and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in boiling water canner (10 minutes for 1001-6000 feet altitude, which is what most of Greenwood County is).
At the workshop it was suggested that cinnamon added to this would be tasty, so I tried it. I added 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon which I think is a little too much, it made the jelly a darker, cloudier color. It did have a good flavor however. Next time I will try 1 - 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon. 
This made 7 half-pints.

Grape Jelly        

Summer morning coffee break

4 cups 100% grape juice
3 tablespoons Ball Low or No-Sugar Needed pectin
up to 1 cup granulated sugar, sugar substitute or honey
½ teaspoon butter or margarine
Combine grape juice, low or no-sugar needed pectin, and butter or margarine in a large sauce pot, stirring to dissolve pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add sweetener, if desired. Boil 1 minutes, stirring constantly. If gel starts to form before 1 minutes boil is complete, remove from heat. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Makes 4 half pints.

Boiling water processing in necessary for sweet spreads to prevent mold and safely preserve the product (unless you intend to keep the jars in the refrigerator). It is not enough to turn the jar over or let it seal on its own with the temperature change! The filled jars are set on a rack in a large pot of boiling water. For small batches I use my spaghetti pot with the strainer rack, but for these larger batches I use a stainless steel water bath canner. Many people have the traditional blue and white flecked large water bath canner which works very well. The boiling water should cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover the canner with a lid and start counting the processing time when the water returns to a boil. After the processing time, remove the jars to a protected surface and let cool away from drafts.
Jelled products should stand undisturbed for 12 hours to avoid breaking the gel. After that time, check the seal, and label and store in a cool, dark place. Sweet spreads will thicken as they cool, so even if you think it has not jelled enough, the cooled product may be fine. If not, remember it will be thicker after it is stored in the refrigerator after opening. Or you can always use it for syrup!